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Mr. Trevor Arnett as President of the Board for
thirty years. This resolution is in the official
minutes of the Board of Trustees of Spelman
College.
1955 January—Renovation of Rockefeller Hall completed.
January—Bessie Strong Hall renovated and occupied
by teachers.
March—Snack Shop opened in Packard Hall.
1955 March 31—Mr. Trevor Arnett, Honorary President of
the Board of Trustees, died.
April—Formal program naming the gymnasium the
Florence Matilda Read Health and Recreation
Building in honor of President Emeritus Florence
Matilda Read.
June—Charter amended to read . . establishment
and maintenance of an institution for young
women . . The word “Negro” was deleted.
December—Ford Foundation announced a grant of
$173,900 to Spelman College, two-thirds to be
used as endowment, the income from which was
to be used to increase salaries of the teaching
faculty and the remaining one-third was an
achievement grant in recognition of Spelman’s
efforts to increase salaries over the past few years.
1956 April 11—The Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of tha
founding of Spelman College.
April 15—Formal program celebrating the Seventy-
Fifth Anniversary of the founding of Spelman
College.
April 15—Citation presented to Mr. John D. Rocke
feller, Jr., by Spelman College in appreciation of
his and his family’s interest in, and support of
Spelman College since 1882. Citation was received
for him by his son, Laurance S. Rockefeller.
April 15—Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., made a gift of
a portrait of himself to the College. Mr. Laurance
S. Rockefeller presented the portrait on behalf
of his father to President Manley. Mrs. Laurance
S. Rockefeller unveiled the portrait. The painting
now hangs in Rockefeller Hall.
October—Renovation of Laura Spelman Rockefeller
Memorial Building completed and reoccupied by
the home economics department.
October—Mr. Charles E. Merrill, Jr., announced that
he would make funds available for a Spelman stu
dent to spend a year traveling and studying
abroad. In succeeding years, he increased the
funds thus making it possible for two students to
travel and study abroad each year.
1957 April 11—Mrs. Laurance Spelman Rockefeller, jointly
with her husband, Mr. Laurance Spelman Rocke
feller, presented to the College a Portrait of Presi
dent Emeritus Florence Matilda Read.
1957 November 22—The Board of Trustees established a
system of rank, tenure, promotions, salaries, load,
and termination of service for the teaching faculty
of the College.
1958 February 3—The first Special Alumnae Achievement
Award presented to Mattiwilda Dobbs by the Pres
ident of the National Alumnae Association, Mrs.
Josephine Harreld Love.
1958 February—The Lilly Endowment announced a grant
of $144,500 to be used t^ finance for a three-year
period a joint reading program in Atlanta Uni
versity, Clark College, Morehouse College, Morris
Brown College, and Spelman College, all of which
are members of Atlanta University Center.
September—Spelman College entered into an agree
ment with the Grady Memorial Hospital School of
Nursing under which Spelman contracted to offer
courses in English, chemistry, anatomy, and other
academic areas.
December—Seplman College accepted to full member
ship in the Southern Association of Colleges and
Secondary Schools.
1959 March—An “Encouragement Grant” of $25,000 was
made available to Spelman College by the Dan-
forth Foundation “in recognition of the splendid
measure of academic excellence already achieved”
by the College.
June—First Cooperative Experimental Summer School
held by the four undergraduate colleges of the
Atlanta University Center, financed with a grant
of $184,800 by an anonymous donor and $25,000
from Mr. and Mrs. Randolph Compton.
1960 February—First Student Exchange Program with
Bethel College, North Ceneral College, and Illinois
Wesleyan College as participating institutions.
July—The Ford Foundation made available to Spel
man College a grant of $200,000 to develop a
cooperative program of non-Western studies in
cooperation with Morehouse College and the other
institutions in the Atlanta University Center.
August—Judge E. Marvin Underwood, Spelman Col
lege Trustee, died.
1961 May—A gift of $1,000,000 to Spelman College and
three other members of the Atlanta University
Center was made by the Rockefeller Brothers
Fund. Of this grant, $750,000 was given to Spel
man College for the erection of a Fine Arts Build
ing; the remainder was given to the four colleges
on a matching basis for the purchase of land
under the Atlanta Urban Renewal Program.
September—The Non-Western Studies Program insti
tuted by Spelman and Morehouse Colleges.
November—Spelman placed on list of institutions ap
proved for membership in the American Associa
tion of University Women. Spelman College grad
uates, including those who graduated prior to this
acceptance, are now elegible for membership in
the Association.
December—Mrs. Chauncey L. Waddell, Spelman Col
lege Trustee, died.
December—The Story of Spelman College by Miss
Florence M. Read published.
1963 February 1—The ground was broken for the Fine Arts
Building.
September 18—Ground was broken for the new dormi
tory.
October 27—The Cornerstone was laid for the Fine
Arts Building. ■
1964 April 12—The Dedication of the John D. Rockefeller,
Jr., Fine Arts Building.
August—Packard Hall renovated.
September—The Opening of the new dormitory.
1965 March 14—The official naming of the new dormitory.
The Dorothy Shephard Manley Hall.
1966 Giles Hall renovated.
1967 April—Ground was broken for a new dormitory.
1967— 68—The year of the self-study.
1968— The opening of the new dormitory.
1969— The naming of the new dormitory, Howard-Harreld
Hall
1969—The completion of the Self-Study.
1969—The renovation of Morehouse Hall.
1969—The renovation of the Laundry Building for ex
panded facilities for Student Guidance and Coun
seling Services.
1969— The incorporation of the Black Studies Program in
the college curriculum.
1970— The appointment of a Spelman professor to the Calla
way Chair.
1970— The Burning of Morgan Hall.
1971— Dedication of Temporary Dining Hall.
1971— Opening of College Bookstore.
1972— The Ground Breaking of the new residence hall.
1972— The Ground Breaking of the College Center.
1973— The Atlanta University Center was reorganized, with
the member institutions adapting a new administra
tive structure.
1973—April 29, Miss Florence M. Read, President Emeritus,
died.
1973—The opening of the College Center.
1973— The opening of the New Dormitory.
1974— The Renovation of Morehouse Hall.
1974—The Re-naming of Morehouse Hall, Willis Laurence
James Hall in memory of a former long-time chair
man of the department of Music at Spelman College.
1974—The naming of the College Center: Albert E. Manley
College Center.
Specific areas within the Center have been named as
follows:
Upstairs concourse: The Sojourner Truth Way.
Downstairs concourse: The Harriett Tubman
Way.
Downstairs Reading Room: The John Hope Read
ing Room, for a late past president of Atlanta
University.
Trustee Board Meeting Room: The Lawrence Mac
Gregor Board Room, in memory of the late Chair
man of the Spelman College Board of Trustees.
Dining Room: The Alma Upshaw Dining Room, in
honor of Mrs. Alma Upshaw currently employed
in the dining room, who has already served the
College faithfully for thirty-five years.
1974—The naming of the New Dormitory, Sarah Sage Mc-
Alpin Hall, in honor of Mrs. Sarah S. McAlpin, Chair
man of the Board of Trustees.
1974—The naming of the Guest House, Helen Albro Guest
House, in honor of the late Dr. Helen Tucker Albro, a
distinguished and dedicated professor and former
chairman of the department of Biology at Spelman
College.
SISTERS IN BLACKNESS . . .
WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM
By Shirley Henderson
The original Sisters In Blackness came to
gether during the turbulent sixties to fill a
need for greater political awareness here at
Spelman. They were one of many such
groups spread throughout the country on
various college campuses and were active in
many political activities during this time.
Today, after, several years of near extinction,
Sisters In Blackness has once again become
an active and vital organization at Spelman.
When asked why there was still a need for
an organization like S.I.B. Pres. Vicki Ber
nard replied, “Sisters In Blackness shouldn’t
have to exist as a separate organization on
campus. Ideally, sisters should be able to
work collectively to being about some posi
tive changes here on campus.” When asked
about the membership of S.I.B. she stated,
“Most of the members of S.I.B. are freshman
sisters who come to Spelman with precon
ceived thoughts and expectations that the
sisters here are really oriented to the unity of
Black people. However, when they arrived at
Spelman they were confronted with the
reality that the majority of people here are
into themselves. Sisters in Blackness appealed
to them as an organization of sisters working
to bring about change and to raise the
consciousness of Black people.”
Sisters In Blackness has presented a di
verse series of activities designed to enlighten
students culturally and politically. The group
held a political forum in November, with
such personalities as Vince Eagan, Mildred
Glover and Wade Harris. Their subsequent
contribution was to invite Frank Wills, dis
coverer of the Watergate break-in, to speak
at Howe Hall. S.I.B. finished the first semes
ter with an entertaining and successful Bac
chanal, or West Indian and African feast,
with authentic food and live music.
For the second semester. S.I.B. has launch
ed a series of bi-monthly discussion work
shops. Their first guest was Lloyd Jackson
of A.U.’s Impact Counsel and second, the
People’s Revolutionary Art Ensemble. S.I.B.’s
biggest project will be a major fund raising
bazaar for the United Negro College Fund.
The tentative date for the bazaar, which will
be held behind Read Hail, is April 20th.
S.I.B. is working in conjunction with the
Pre-Alumni Club and they ask the support
of all dormitories, clubs and classes in partici
pating in the bazaar by setting up a booth or
by contributing $10.00 to the drive.
Sisters In Blackness is one group of
people seeking to help themselves and others
to find and develop themselves as knowledge
able and concerned Black women.